Jeff Passan, ESPN's MLB insider, is a candidate to replace Adrian Wojnarowski: sources

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan has emerged as a candidate to switch sports and succeed Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN's lead NBA news anchor, six sources briefed on the discussions said The athlete.

After Wojnarowski's surprising resignation The athleteShams Charania is another leading candidate for the job, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing search. ESPN has NBA insiders like Ramona Shelburne, Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps on the roster. It fired senior ESPN NBA writer Zach Lowe this week.

ESPN declined to comment.

Passan, 44, followed the same path as Wojnarowski, first becoming a top insider at Yahoo Sports before moving to ESPN. According to sources briefed on his contract, Passan earns about $1 million per year. Wojnarowski left $20 million on his contract when he left journalism to become general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team. Wojnarowski earned around $7 million per season.

In addition to the potential for increased revenue for Passan, ESPN also has a long-term relationship with the NBA, having just signed an 11-year extension to host the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, ESPN's connection to baseball is going through a rocky patch. Included in his current contract is a $540 million per season opt-out, which is expected to vest or be vested through the end of next season. Although ESPN could remain in business with MLB, that is not guaranteed. ESPN has an interest in the MLB's local rights, where the two teams could meet.

In addition to Passan, ESPN has insiders like Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers in baseball. Although Passan is aware of the interest, it is not known whether he would agree to the offered move, according to people briefed on the internal discussions.

After Wojnarowski's retirement, ESPN executives mentioned to him the possibility of becoming a consultant. If Passan were offered the job and he agreed, Wojnarowski and ESPN analyst/former NBA GM Bobby Marks could serve as mentors. ESPN would likely have to accept a learning curve with such a move, as Passan has limited NBA experience.

Some decision makers at ESPN would like to redefine the position of their top NBA insider. In addition to breaking MLB news, Passan also writes longer stories. Wojnarowski once wrote extensively, but at ESPN he focused primarily on breaking news alongside television and radio appearances.

Charania, 30, would be more of a plug-and-play hire for ESPN as he competes directly with Wojnarowski. Charania, whose contract has expired The athleteAccording to the sources, he also has interest from new NBA rights holder NBC. FanDuel TV also wants to continue with Charania. He recently signed a contract to provide his voice in NBA 2K. He also previously worked for Stadium but is not returning to that company.

At ESPN, Charania enjoys the public support of Pat McAfee, on whose show Charania regularly appears. The athlete hopes to keep Charania.

“We are not at all surprised by the interest in Shams, whose indispensable coverage of the NBA and its key players continues to set the pace,” said Steven Ginsberg, editor in chief of The athletesaid in a statement. “We are proud to have him as our colleague and are committed to ensuring that he stays with us The athlete for the years to come.”

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